Past, Present, Future
by Izzyberry
Summary: A story about life long after the war; the breakdown of relationships everyone thought would last forever, and the beginning of unusual, new relationships too. The lives of old enemies entwine with those who fought the good side in the war effort, for better or for worse. Story will include flashbacks, present events and events of the future. M for Lemons later on :P Enjoy x
1. Chapter 1

**Hermione POV.**

"Hugo! Rose! Scorpius! Hurry up and get in here! You're keeping everyone waiting!"

My voice echoing through the narrow corridor, its walls covered in glistening green and silver painted swirls which in the dim candlelight, resembled the shape snakes intertwining with one another. The majority of the manor was decorated in this manner, and although I somewhat admired the royal appearance emerald green and silver gave the rooms of the house, I often felt uneasy at the rather realistic looking snakes scattered around. They reminded me too much of the war…of what we all lost. Draco had promised we would redecorate the manor as soon as we could, but with planning the wedding, Draco away at Hogwarts teaching Defence against the Dark Arts, and with me working overtime on cases at the Ministry of Magic, time hasn't been our friend.

I began to pace the corridor, edging myself closer to the living room where loud noises were emanating from. I wondered whether I ought to leave them in there to bond – something they hadn't really done a lot of since Draco and I got together. Of course, I knew that this was because everything had happened so fast, and Rose and Hugo had gone through a lot. What they saw happen to their father, well, it was far from easy for them to see him deteriorate so drastically…it was far from easy for any of us. Ron was once such a sweet and loving man, but then grief possessed him. Grief took away the sweet man I had loved for so many years of my life, stole away the man who saved my life and watched over me during the good times and the bad, but worst of all, grief stole my children's father away from them.

I heard Scorpius' laugh fill the room, my stomach fluttering. This was the first time I'd heard him laugh since I had moved in with the kids. Scorpius hadn't taken well to the change of living arrangements, Draco told me that living with other children his age was strange as he has only ever known what being an only child way like. Draco and Astoria's divorce was messy too, both fighting just as eagerly for the custody of Scorpius. After all that Scorpius has been put through, it's refreshing to hear him experience the better side to life.

I snapped out of my trailing thoughts and listened to their laughter for one more moment before cracking the door open enough to poke my head inside. The children were all staged around the room, Rose was under the table holding a pillow as a shield and her wand in the other hand, swishing it around in an unruly manner, whereas Hugo and Scorpius were standing on the sofas, both aiming their wands at Rose and yelling out gibberish. Rose cast her eyes away from the boys and saw me in the doorway, the excitement in her eyes fading a little.  
"Hey" I said softly, trying not to brashly ruin the moment they were having, "It's time for tea."  
They all looked at each other briefly, as if sharing a thought.  
"Why can't we stay here?" whined Rose.  
"Well you can" I replied, "If you want to starve and be rude by not seeing your family, Rose. I know how much you love seeing Harry, Ginny, Neville, Luna and the kids."  
They all let out a groan and retreated from their places within the living room, their heads hung down slightly, their feet shuffling along the lusciously soft carpet. We moved back down the corridor towards the dining area where everyone was seated, the loud chatter of friends flooding into the hallway. I held the large oak door open for them as they all filed in, taking their seats among the other children whilst I made my way over to the reserved seat beside Draco.

"Apologies for the delay, the children were just having some fun." I said before seating myself, flashing a smile at Scorpius, Hugo and Rose. "Now then, shall we eat?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hermione's POV**

We all tucked into the delicious three course meal the staff had prepared throughout the day – since working at the Ministry it was now law that House Elves did not work in the kitchen of any home or establishment, they were only required to work in up keeping the cleanliness of the home or building. Everybody around the table appeared to enjoy the food, all amazed by the hog roast that had been made as the main course. When dessert arrived the children went mad; Draco and I planned ahead and arranged a selection of different cakes and treats with the hope that it would cheer up Rose, Hugo and Scorpius. Fortunately our plan had worked to our advantage and the children revelled in the choice, their plates stacked with all kinds of luxuries from slices of pie and cake, to bowls overflowing with vanilla and chocolate ice-cream. Even the adults went slightly wild at the prospect of a dessert buffet, Neville and Luna gathering a mighty collection of cake and ice-cream – something Luna used to do at dinner time in Hogwarts too. Harry, Ginny, Draco and I were more restrained as we opted for a large portion of profiteroles in hot fudge sauce.  
"Do you remember…" I chuckled to myself, "Harry, Ginny, do you remember that odd dinner we had with Professor Slughorn, in 6th year?" I paused again, laughing slightly louder now.  
"How could I ever forget!" Harry responded, a smile growing across his face, "You told him the boy who bit your dad's finger during a dentist appointment, Slughorn was so confused by it all!"  
"And Cormac McLaggen would not stop staring at me!" I responded, my voice cracking ever so slightly from all the laughter.  
"Remember the Christmas party Slughorn held too, the dragon tartars? McLuggan ate one then threw up all over Snape?" Harry chuckled, prodding the profiteroles with his fork before stuffing them in his mouth.  
"Did that really happen?" asked Albus, Harry's oldest son. Harry and I nodded enthusiastically, sniggering once again at the memory. "Oh." Albus responded. "Dad never tells us funny stories like that."  
"You never ask Albus." Harry retorted, pointing his fork at the direction of Albus. "If you want to hear some I'm sure we'd all be more than happy to share funny tales from our time at Hogwarts?" We adults nodded in unison, our eyes scanning the room for a reaction from the children.  
"We could set ourselves up in the biggest living room couldn't we, Draco? Get some hot chocolate ready with lots of snacks, blankets and a big fire in the fireplace. Would be lovely don't you think?" There was a wave of nods from around the table, all the children filling with excitement for even more treats. I swear children just think with their stomachs! Might give you some inspiration for your wedding speech too Draco." I muttered, playfully hitting his arm as he flashed a half-smile at me, trying his hardest not to humour my snide comment. We stood from our seats and began to clear the mess we had made, stacking the dishes in an orderly pile at the end of the table to help ease the load for the staff. As one of the waitresses approached the dining table I requested a large pot of hot chocolate, bowls of cream and toppings for the beverages, as well as snacks for the children and a few Butter-Beers for us adults. She nodded and went on her way as we adjourned to the largest living room in the manor whilst Draco hunted down blankets for everyone to use.

As everyone sat themselves down on the sofas near the fireplace, I took out my wand and projected a spell at the coals, the room filling with cheers as a great fire erupted. Just as I turned around Draco entered the room, arms overflowing with blankets. I paced across the room to lighten the load, placing a kiss on his cheek to thank him. We moved back to the crowd of people together and distributed the blankets amongst everyone before sitting ourselves down on the remaining two seater sofa. I threw the cover over us and settled myself against Draco's body, my heart fluttering ever so subtly as he wrapped his arm around me, letting it linger on my waist, sending shivers through my body.

Harry was sat beside Ginny, his hand placed around her the same way Draco had done with me. Neville and Luna were less publicly affectionate towards one another but still sat beside one another, Neville holding Luna's hand as she rested it on his knee. They always were an awkward couple, but absolutely perfect for one another. I suppose I've always felt quite jealous that they matched so well; they share all the same beliefs and their personalities are nearly identical. They just mesh so well together in a way so different from Draco and me and from Harry and Ginny. Their wedding was so beautiful too; set in the countryside surrounded by nature, they said their hand-written vows to one another and had a blessing in the woods before moving into a cosy tent decorated in bunting, flowers and fairy lights. Neville wore a tux similar to the one he wore at the Yule Ball, and Luna, well Luna wore a floral headdress on top of perfectly waved hair, and the most incredible bespoke dress I have ever seen – a knee length white dress made of silk and floral patterned tulle for the skirt. Both looked absolutely fantastic on their big day...I could only dream of a wedding so pure and beautifully simple.

"So what kind of story do you want to hear?" Harry asked the children, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts.  
"Anything funny!" They chimed. They stared at us all for a moment in anticipation. I felt Draco lean forward slightly his body tensing as if about to speak but being unsure. I imagine he felt nervous that he did not have as many good memories as everyone else in the room did and so I took his hand in mine and brushed my fingers across his in an attempt to calm him.  
"Well," he spoke gently, "When I was younger in Hogwarts I was often quite mean to everyone. I used to get away with it a lot because of who my parents were, but then one day I was mean to Hermione, and boy did I regret it." He gripped my hand tightly, as if pained by the memory of our past. He exhaled and continued. "Hermione got pretty annoyed with me and so she launched forward and punched me full on in the face before Harry pulled her away. She made me cry like a little girl!" He chuckled lightly, unsure on whether anyone else would find it amusing. A fraction of a second later the children burst out laughing and Draco's body released all the tension that had built up in that short minute. Everybody else slowly joined in with the laughter too.  
"That actually happened?!" Exclaimed Rose, before erupting with laughter. Harry, Draco and I all nodded our heads, finally beginning to calm down after the fit of hysteria.

There was a loud knock at the door before it edged open, the light from the corridor flooding into the room and jolting our attention the waitress stood in the doorway. She carted the food and drinks I had requested towards the group before taking her leave. Once we had all calmed down we began to help ourselves to the beverages and food and Draco relit the fire. We settled down back into our seats and refuelled ourselves with our treats, preparing ourselves for the long night ahead.


End file.
